I Wish I Was a Black Woman

I wish I was a Black woman
Smooth brown skin and full, thick lips
Ooh, I wish I was a Black woman
I'd be born with gifted hips

I would walk with a musical swagger
I would dance with an ear to the rhythm
I would age secretly, forgetting my birthdate
And when I finally grayed
Oh the wisdom!

I wish I was a Black woman
I'd be the reason that mankind exists
I would scrunch up my eyebrows
Pouty lips would form phrases of struggle and pain
With my button nose, piercing eyes and fluffy hair
I would raise my delicate, beautiful hands
And form them into a powerful fist
That could penetrate any wall

Oh to be a Black woman!

I'd be a mystery
To look at me would be to see my history
You would know from my being
That my foremothers were survivors
You could see from my genetics
I have fought and conquered rivals
Oh to be a member of this clan
To be a member of this tribe
To be a walking testament
Of what I possess inside

To know I'd have the secret codes
To secret DNA
Brings fear and secret worries
this sleeping giant may reemerge some day
Shhhh

(whisper) Oh I wish I was a Black woman!